


Common Ground

by DarkStarNocturne



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23593384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkStarNocturne/pseuds/DarkStarNocturne
Summary: Weiss tries to talk to her brother to help him get his mind off their father and the family business, but isn't quite sure what to talk about until she hits upon an idea and brings in a little help in the form of a certain bow-wearing bookworm.
Kudos: 14





	Common Ground

Weiss tried to keep a straight face as her mind raced. What would help Whitley? She watched him as his eyes traced the bottom of his screen, his shoulders slumped. For a moment, she imagined a weight on his back, and it fit the image before her perfectly, pushing him down into the man she saw before her.  
Closing her eyes, she cast her mind back to their childhood in the manor, running around the huge, empty halls with their mother laughing as she followed. They paused as they came up near the open door of their father’s study and looked back to their mother, whose brow furrowed for a moment as she stared at the door. Then she turned to them and smiled, though now she thought back it was a bit forced, put a finger to her lips and mimed tip-toeing.  
She and Whitley nodded and followed her lead, each of them taking care not to make a sound on the gleaming tile. When they got a fair distance from the door, their mother relaxed and wiped her brow. “That was an adventure, wasn’t it?” she whispered to them, though even that seemed to echo down the hall, and she winced. “Don’t worry,” she continued, patting them on their heads, “I don’t think he heard us. Shall we take tea in the library?”  
Whitley brightened. “Will you read to me?”  
Kneeling down, their mother ruffled his hair. “Of course.”  
Weiss’s eyes shot open. Whitley looked up at her, concern written on his face. “Are you alright?” he asked, then he said, “Hey!” as she spun in her chair, reaching for her scroll.  
“Give me a second,” she called back as she pulled up her contacts. There, right near the top. “Hope I don’t get you in trouble,” she murmured as she pressed the call button and held the scroll to her ear.  
The tone rang twice before Blake’s disgruntled whisper came through. “Weiss, you know I’m in the library, they hate it when –“  
“I need a favor,” Weiss interrupted. “Can you come to the CC Tower, in the long-distance call room?”  
“I guess,” replied Blake, “but what –“  
“Thanks, see you soon.” With a grin, Weiss ended the call and put her scroll away before turning back to the monitor and sitting down. “Sorry about that,” she said, “Just thought of something. Can you stay on the line for a little while?”  
Whitely arched an eyebrow. “Sure, but I hope you’ll actually talk to me instead of rushing off again.”  
They chatted aimlessly for a while, ending up in a couple more awkward silences, before the door behind Weiss opened, drawing her eye. Blake stood in front of the elevator, looking around, and Weiss raised a hand to get her attention. Walking over, Blake cocked her head a bit to one side. “Well, I’m here, what’s this about?”  
“Who’s that?” Whitely asked, craning his neck to see the newcomer.  
“I could ask the same.” Putting her hands on her hips, Blake leaned forward into the screen’s view, and Whitley’s eyes widened a bit before he regained his composure, straightening his tie.  
“Whitley Schnee,” he said. “Weiss is my sister. May I ask your name?”  
“Blake.” She turned to Weiss. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”  
“As you’re aware, I’m a little distant with my family.” Now that Blake stood there, Weiss found herself at a loss. “So, uh, you were in the library?”  
Whitley perked up a little at the word 'library,' but Blake had her attention on Weiss. “Yeah, I’m always there this time of day,” she said, folding her arms. “Which is why you know better than to call me.”  
“Well,” Weiss pressed on, eyes darting from side to side, “I was just wondering, y’know, what you were reading. To make a recommendation, to someone.”  
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “Planning to make fun of me to your brother?”  
“Make fun of you?” interjected Whitley.  
Blinking, Blake turned her attention to the screen. She thought for a moment, the leaned back on her heels. “It’s, uh, a little embarrassing,” she said looking to one side.  
“Nonsense,” he continued, waving one hand. “It so happens I enjoy a bit of literature myself.”  
“Well,” said Blake, leaning forward a bit and fiddling with her hair, “I’m not sure I’d call it literature, exactly.”  
“That’s alright. I, ah, enjoy a bit of fiction that might be described as, hm, unfitting for my age.”  
“Oh really?” With a grin, Blake put her hands on the desk in front of the keyboard and leaned in further. Off to the side, Weiss edged away, taking care to make no noise, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m rather curious to know what that might be, now.”  
“Well, I’ll tell you… if you tell me.”  
“At the same time, then?”  
“On the count of three?”  
“Deal.”  
Together they said, “One, two, three –“ and then Blake said “Romance novels,” and Whitely said “Childish adventures,” and they both laughed.  
“What makes them childish?” asked Blake.  
“Well, they were written for children,” admitted Whitley. “Though I must say, I wouldn’t have suspected you enjoyed that.”  
“Hey! I mean, well, it’s a guilty pleasure.” She took a chair from the next monitor over and sat down in front of the screen. “Still, I don’t see what’s so bad about adventure stories, even if they’re not my kind of thing.”  
He gave her a wry smile. “Try going to the local library and checking one out. I feel too tall and awkward.” His smile slipped. “Plus Father wouldn’t approve.”  
Blake frowned. “Why not?”  
“He expects me to learn the family business. With Weiss and Winter off being huntresses, I’m the only one left in the family to take over.”  
“Do you want to?”  
“I actually do.” He scratched his head, a rueful smile spreading across his face. “Unfortunately, that means spending a lot more time looking over spreadsheets and a lot less time reading books of any sort. Not to mention maintaining a good public image.”  
“What’s that got to do with the kind of books you read?”  
Whitley sighed. “Well, even if the public doesn’t know, my father does. If he comes in and finds me reading such childish things, he might start in on me about not taking the business seriously.”  
“Don’t worry about him.” Blake put her elbows on the desk and looked straight into his eyes. “Even when you’re working hard, you have to take time to relax, right? Who cares what you read in your spare time?”  
“Heh.” Sitting back in his chair, Whitley sighed and smiled at her. “I suppose you’re right. Though,” he pressed on, leaning forward a bit, “I imagine you use romance novels for the same purpose?”  
“Shut up!” Blake laughed, and Whitley laughed with her. Weiss blinked; she hadn’t heard him laugh in a long time. “You know,” continued Blake, sitting back in her chair and scooting it up to the desk, “If you keep bringing it up, I might have to hound you into reading one.”  
“So you’re asking me to trade being embarrassed checking out children’s stories for being embarrassed checking out something else instead?”  
“Tell you what,” she said, raising a finger. “If you give me a recommendation for your favorite, I’ll give you one of mine, and we can talk about them sometime, share the embarrassment.”  
“Deal.” He reached forward, extending his hand as if to shake, then came to himself and pulled it back with a rueful grin.  
Giggling, Blake extended her own hand and mimed shaking it; Whitely, taken aback, did the same. “So,” said Blake, businesslike, “Your assignment is Ninjas in Love, by Adelaide Crowfeather.”  
Whitley grinned. “A difficult one to forget. Yours, by a measure of coincidence, is The Shadow from Katakuri, by Ren Yamato.”  
“Oh, I remember that one!” A dreamy look drifted across Blake’s features. “It’ll be good to go back and read it again, I’d almost forgotten about it.”  
“I look forward to talking to you again.”  
“Same to you,” replied Blake, smiling. “Until next time.”  
Whitley nodded, then reached forward and pushed a button, ending the call. Pushing herself back, Blake slid her chair away from the terminal, letting her gaze float toward the ceiling. Weiss stood and pulled her chair toward the now chairless terminal, where she stood looking at Blake. “So…”  
“Hm?” With a start, Blake sat up in her chair. “Oh, I’m sorry Weiss, you must’ve wanted to talk to him more.”  
“No, it’s not that.” She covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. “It’s just that…”  
“What?”  
“Do you know how to contact my brother?”  
Blake froze, eyes widening. “Oh.” Looking up, she gave Weiss a rueful grin. “Could I ask you for help with that?”

**Author's Note:**

> Rather out of context, though not being certain whether it'll eventually fit into something larger, I felt it was worth setting this up as its own separate thing. I may be an outlier on this, but I'd like to think Whitley's alright really and just needs help being that way, plus I quite miss Blake's love of books and the joke about her enjoyment of romance novels particularly.
> 
> I suppose I should also note that Weiss and Blake are meant to be about 21 to Whitley's 19 or 20, but I doubt that came across properly and they're probably all acting like awkward teenagers in any case.


End file.
